The placenta mediates physiological exchange between the mother and the fetus. In
placental mammals, all placentas are descended from a single common ancestor and …

The aim of this review is to collate data relevant to understanding the evolution of viviparity
in general, and complex placentae in particular. The wide range of reproductive modes …

We propose and evaluate the hypothesis that parent-offspring conflict over the degree of
maternal investment has been one of the main selective factors in the evolution of vertebrate …

For over a century, research has been conducted on squamates in order to reveal how
viviparity has evolved in mammals and other vertebrates. The recent proliferation of studies …

Viviparity in squamate reptiles is widely recognized as having evolved convergently from
oviparity more than 100 times. However, questions persist as to whether reversals from …

Populations experiencing consistent differences in predation risk and resource availability
are expected to follow divergent evolutionary trajectories. For example, live-history theory …

Viviparity (live-bearing reproduction) is a widespread reproductive pattern of considerable
biological significance and a subject of intensive ongoing investigation. Viviparity in …

Most reptiles are oviparous, with the develo** embryos relying on the contents of the yolk
to sustain development until hatching (lecithotrophy). The yolk is composed primarily of lipid …

Squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) offer a unique model system for testing hypotheses
about the evolutionary transition from oviparity (egg-laying) to viviparity (live-bearing) in …

Viviparity has evolved at least 115 times in squamates and these multiple origins have
raised a series of functional and evolutionary questions. Ideally, testing evolutionary …